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Music

Unbridled harmonies and catchy melodies make Winterbourne’s new EP Pendulum a soul stirrer

There is nothing more enticing then a sound that exudes authenticity and sheer talent behind the scenes. There is too much emphasis on synthesized music these days that it’s nice to sit back and let the magic that is raw ‘played’ music take over your mind. Winterbourne is one of these organically grown bands, just two lads, James Draper and Jordan Brady from NSW’s Central Coast, doing what they love from the back of their van and pulling crowds. It’s the way music should be made and these boys have got it down to a T.

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The band have been working hard since their first EP dropped in 2014. All But The Sun started the engine of that 1989 Volkswagen van and has taken the boys on a road trip of a lifetime. Having supported acts like Patrick James and The Rubens, as well as selling out their own shows, the duo have built the excitement up until this very moment, the release of their second EP Pendulum; a six-track set that’s honest in its roots, but a little more rebellious in its upbringing. There is no GPS directing for the lads, it’s wherever the winding road takes them next.

Initially, their creativity stemmed from the brilliant melodies of Boy & Bear and Mumford and Sons, encompassing that classic folk rock sound guided by storytelling, guitars and harmonies. So let’s kick it up a notch with this next one, with the boys running wild with new melodies and sound ideas, embodying the true rock dynamic of Green day and The Living End, but still tying in with a band that mixes the two perfectly, The Beatles. Ahh yes, the worlds answer to everything music.

Pendulum is an incarnation of all the elements the lads have been playing around with. In ‘When I’m under’ a passion derives from the tenderness of the acoustic guitar to soften the mood and create a deep and dramatic tension, further exposed when the electric guitar takes over, contrasting the essences of a tender folk ballad, with a spine tingling rock ballad all bundled into one. Bringing it right back down to the initial stages of when the lads were writing, ‘My Perfect Sunday’ reflects that loose flowing, easy listening appeal that folk music has. It has catchy hooks, fast paced music and a head bopping rhythm. Then uncovering this riskier, bigger sound in ‘But I Do’ drawing appeal from the punchy electric guitar plucking, the steady beat, slow versus and pulsating, high intensity chorus.

Winterbourne has taken what each of the folk and rock genres do best. Rock, where fast is punchy and unforgiving in rising tension, whereas folk is a solid melody, feeling rapid and loose but tied together with open hooks, keeping you dancing the whole way through. The band has positioned their audiences to be anyone and everyone, with a relaxed intertwine of two highly popular genres. Add in two guys who genuinely love what they do, and whom they are with, and we have all the elements of what makes music organic and innovative.